Jim Bolger’s career in the majors stretched from 1950 to 1959. From making a major league debut at age 18, Bolger found infrequent moments in the limelight. He led the senior circuit in pinch-hitting in 1957. When the Cubs notched a home win against Milwaukee on May 2, 1958, they had Bolger and his three-run homer onto Waveland Avenue to thank. (We have retrosheet.org to thank for that insight!)

Bolger sent a revealing reply to two questions:

Q: What was your secret to pinch-hitting success? Why do you think some players have never fared well as pinch-hitters?

A: Hit the first pitch that looked good to hit. They were afraid to look bad at the plate.

Q: Not a lot of 1950s players wore eyeglasses. When did glasses seem like a burden or challenge?

A: They were a burden from day one. I had some very good years in the high minors but the fact that I wore glasses was not a good thing in a lot of people’s minds. One manager said that a player wearing glasses couldn’t play center field.

I ended up disappointed in the years that I stayed in the majors. My career wasn’t as good as I expected it to be, but I always wanted to play pro ball ever since I was six years old. After high school, I could have gone to just about any college in the states to play football, but my heart was in baseball.

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Tom Owens has been collecting baseball autographs by mail since 1972 (thanks to "Bullet" Bob Veale). As "Thomas S. Owens," he's written more than 50 books, many about sports or collectibles. Write to Tom at: BaseballByTheLetters [at] gmail [dot] com.